Texas Parks & Wildlife Videos

Birding

Government Canyon State Natural Area grew out of a unique partnership that formed to preserve a precious resource. The more than 8,000 acre area of pristine Hill Country land helps protect the aquifer below it, and that makes it all the more important to nearby San Antonio.
For more information about Government Canyon, visit: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/government_canyon/

The largest bird watching tournament in the world is coming back this Spring and it's even bigger! For 16 years, the Great Texas Birding Classic was just a coastal competition but this year, it's gone statewide. Texas Parks and Wildlife takes us back to 1997 when a group of teenagers won their competition category the first year by looking at birds rather than picking up chicks.
The Thrashers, now in their mid-30s, are still friends and avid birders. The 17th annual Great Texas Birding Classic kicks off April 15 with chances of competing in numerous categories throughout the month. Grant money raised through team registration and event sponsorship is donated back to the bird habitat conservation and nature tourism projects in Texas. Winning teams help select which projects are funded. Team registration deadline is April 1st. For more information go to www.BirdingClassic.org

A Man in Paradise
The Rio Grande Valley is a haven for birds and birders alike. For Father Tom Pincelli, this area is an earthly paradise. Follow along as Father Tom finds beauty and inspiration in some unusual birding spots.

Postcard From Texas
The South Llano River is home to the native Guadalupe Bass and it's a major attraction to the hill country town of Junction. Now this nearly constant water level river is one of the latest additions to the Texas Paddling Trails network.

Postcard From Texas
Turkeys hanging around a field, from a ranch in Donley County, Texas just south of McLean. Put a decoy or two out, do some turkey calls and before you know it here they come. Turkeys are very smart but they still occasionally fall for a decoy.

It's wintertime at The Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area. From Mallards to Wood Ducks, this WMA is the perfect refuge for all kinds of ducks. Take a look at this flooded bottomland hardwood forest all the feathered friends that call it home. For more information on this wildlife management area check out http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/wma/find_a_wma/list/?id=10

In the world of stamp collections, artifacts or all things old, there’s a place that surely has some of it all. Texas Parks and Wildlife has this report on a small East Texas town that values history and preservation as proof in its latest collection that is lets say, “eggsotic.” For more information on the Mt. Vernon Fire Station Museum which hosts both the bird egg display and the Don Meredith exhibit, visit the Franklin County Historical Association website or call 903-537-4760. Birding and wildlife trail maps information is on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/wildlifetrails

Shorebird Survival
Texas shorebirds are in trouble. From the endangered piping plover to the threatened snowy plover, shorebirds in Texas continue to lose habitat as beach development booms. Follow along with some biologists as they work to save these struggling shorebirds.